Cross My Heart and Hope To Die by James Patterson are two parts of one story. The first part takes place in Cross My Heart and it concludes in Hope To Die. To my knowledge, this was the first time James Patterson did this so, naturally, many fans were upset with the cliffhanger ending of the first book. I wasn’t because I knew this going in. If anything, it made me look forward to reading Hope To Die even more, so I could see how things wrapped up.

Both of these books feature Patterson’s iconic protagonist, Alex Cross, and they’re well-crafted thrillers that keep the pages turning. As Patterson would say, they turn on the movie projector in our heads. I don’t think one book is better than the other. They are equally excellent, and the story as a whole is compelling from start to finish. The villain and his accomplice are fascinating characters that I enjoyed reading about, and the character development between Alex and his family was just as intriguing. Fans of thrillers, mysteries or those who simply love a great Alex Cross book will enjoy both of these novels immensely. Just make sure to read them in order.